Muse have revealed that they are starting work on the follow-up to their 2009 album The Resistance, with the band stating it is likely to be ‘softer’ in tone.

Speaking to NME while attending the Ivor Novello Awards ceremony in London, drummer Dominic Howard and bassist Chris Wolstenholme suggested the new material might see the band heading in a new direction.

Howard said, “Matt [Bellamy, frontman] showed me a few chords recently… Who knows, it might be softer rock, but then it’s up to me and Chris to make it heavy again. A heavy rock lullaby! But I’m sure it will move forward in some way.”

He went on to say they would be taking their time in getting the new album, their sixth, absolutely right.

“It takes as long as it takes really,” he said, “because you have to love it before you can just chuck it out there and into the real world. But definitely next year.”

Wolstenholme, meanwhile, said the band won’t get the chance to head into the studio to record the new album until this year’s festival season is behind them, saying “We’ve got Reading Festival in August and maybe a few weeks off after that. So September, October time we’ll get into the studio and start writing and working on the songs.”